What I Didn't Show
by Salamander Starfish
Summary: Set during regionals. Kurt has left Dalton for financial reasons an is back in New Directions. I OWN NONE OF THIS. Not the show/its characters or the song lyrics included  those belong to Ryan Murphy/Fox, Maroon 5 and Backstreet Boys, respectively .
1. Chapter 1

Kurt sat comfortably in the middle section of the auditorium. In spite of the spat he'd just had with Blaine, he couldn't deny his excitement about seeing the Warblers perform. It was rough, having to transfer back to McKinley (read: away from Blaine). He'd had great friends to come back to, though. Surprisingly this included one Rachel Berry, who was presently seated to his right. It was a total shock to Kurt on his first day back when the first person to attack him with a hug had been his former rival. Since then they'd hung out at least a few times a weep. At Kurt had a sneaking suspicion that this had a little to do with her pining for Finn, but that was just his natural cynicism. About a month after returning he got the shock of his life when Rachel tearily confided in him that she didn't want to hang out at the Hummel-Hudson house but she still really wanted to be friends with Kurt. He understood how that felt and from then on they either went to Rachel's house (her dads _loved _Kurt) or out somewhere fun.

Thinking about that specific feeling brought back Kurt's memory of how he could relate to Rachel about it. Why had Blaine decided to sing 'Baby It's Cold Outside' with him like _that_ if he didn't mean it at all? Not that Kurt expected Blaine to return his feelings (it was laughable to think that such a perfect guy might feel anything for him), but it just made things so difficult. When Kurt told Blaine about having to leave Dalton he decided it was also the time to divulge his feelings.

* * *

"Blaine, I have a crush on you," Kurt blurted out as soon as the other boys had left. "Oh, great, not only did I just admit that, but I had to sound like a seventh grader while doing it," Kurt managed to squeak out as an addendum.

"Kurt, I don't…I'm not really sure what to say to that," the usually composed Blaine stuttered, looking rather amusingly like a deer in headlights. Or, rather, it would have been amusing in almost any other situation. But not this one. Kurt took a deep breath and looked remarkably composed.

"Blaine, it's fine. I'm leaving after this semester. Which means tomorrow. You're totally off the hook. I just thought I'd tell you how I feel. And I don't want you to feel guilty or anything. You've been a blessing," Kurt replied with a sadly lopsided half-smile before leaving the room.

The next morning Blaine got a text: _So so so sorry. Wish I'd had the 'courage' to just shut up about it. But it's hard when you like someone as much as I've liked you. See you at regionals. _

Kurt had already left. He bid farewell to most of his friends, but suggested they let Blaine sleep. He was almost impossible to wake up anyway.

* * *

Now, sitting next to Rachel, he reflected on just how terrible he had been to leave things with Blaine like that. Of course that would have its repercussions. It made him squirm to think about the encounter he'd just had with Blaine…

* * *

"KURT," shouted an all too familiar voice, laced with an edge of spite that Kurt had never heard in it before. A hand clamped down on his shoulder as he and the rest of the New Directions were walking into the auditorium to find their seats.

"Oh…hi, Blaine," Kurt said nervously.

"Can we talk? _Now_?"

"Um. Sure. Rachel, will you go save me a seat?" Kurt asked. A suspicious Rachel obliged. Blaine, hand still squeezing Kurt's shoulder, steered him into an empty classroom.

"What do you want to talk about?" Kurt asked, feigning curiousity. Taking in the other boy's face he saw that Blaine looked mad. In fact, that was an understatement. He looked _furious_.

" _HOW COULD YOU DO THAT, KURT?"_ Blaine roared.

"I don't-" Kurt began, genuinely frightened.

"I can't believe you. How could you be that _cruel_? You just left! You didn't even say 'bye'! I thought we were friends! You-" So that's what this is about. Suddenly Kurt's mad, too.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?" This stopped Blaine in his tracks. "You were me once, Blaine. I thought it would be a nice change to have a crush on a gay guy for once, but that just made it…so much worse, when I realized it wasn't going to happen. This time I know for sure that it's me you don't like, not boys in general. It _hurts_, Blaine!" And with that Kurt exited the room to find his seat. At least he was able to keep the tears from falling, for once.

* * *

Back in the present, Kurt's thoughts were interrupted by the emcee making an announcement.

"The Dalton Academy Warblers have made a last minute change to their set list. We apologize for the misprint in your programs"

* * *

Blaine couldn't believe how dumb he was. He had a 3.8 GPA, he got an almost perfect score on his SAT, but he could honestly say, in that moment, that he was the most idiotic person on the planet. He was sitting on a chair in the classroom that was reserved as the warm-up area for the groups to warm up in before they went onstage. How could he be that horrible to Kurt? He was right, Blaine _was_ him once. He knew the kind of hurt he had been talking about. He also knew it was completely irrational because _of course_ he liked Kurt. He like him a lot. He sighed and, resting his elbows on his knees, pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to-? What? Force himself back in time to prevent himself from being such a jackass? That didn't seem likely.

"Dude – what's up with you?" A finger poked him. Looking up, Blaine saw that it was Wes.

"Oh…nothing. Never mind."

"You are the worst liar I know, Blaine. Come on, I'm your best friend. Out with it."

"Fine," Blaine heaved a huge sigh and proceeded to regale Wes with all the details of his outrageous stupidity.

"Uh huh. Uh huh. You know how we're gonna fix this, don't you?" Wes asked with an excited glint in his eye.

"Uh. No, actually. Hence the moping."

"Wow you really are an idiot, you know that?" Wes says, smiling even wider than before.

"Trust me, man. I know."

"Since it looks like you genuinely have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, I'll spell it out for you. You sweep the boy off your feet every time you sing. And right now, guess what we have! A stage, you, and a cute guy who you want to apologize to and who _isn't allowed to leave the auditorium_!"

"Uh. One problem. Serenading Kurt with 'Magical Mystery Tour' and 'Let it Be', neither of which I have a solo in, is probably not going to say "I'm sorry".

"Which is why we're obviously not singing those songs." Seeing Blaine's skeptical yet hopeless face Wes adds more seriously, "I'm sure the other guys will agree, Blaine. We all like Kurt. And even though you didn't really say anything, we all knew that you _really _liked him. We got your back, buddy." Blaine was overcome with the urge to hug Wes, but he held back. Blaine wasn't a big hugger.

"So, um, which…which songs?"

"So glad you asked, because I've already handpicked the perfect two from our repertoire…"

* * *

Kurt was…uncomfortable. He felt really bad for blowing up at Blaine like that. Blaine really had every right to be angry. Kurt hadn't even said goodbye. It was even crueler of him to ignore all of Blaine's calls, texts, and Facebook messages. Kurt just didn't want to deal with it, which was, in retrospect, just about the most selfish thing he'd ever done in his life. But it wasn't like he could just ask for forgiveness. Blaine probably didn't even care _that_ much. He was probably just pissed and now that he's yelled it's out of his system, Kurt thought. Yeah. After all, they'd only known each other for a few months. How attached could someone like Blaine possibly have gotten? Anyway, The Warblers' set was about to start. He'd have time to mope around later.

* * *

Blaine was nervous. And it definitely wasn't because he cared about winning the competition. It was more because…well, he was about to confess his romantic feelings for Kurt in front of an entire auditorium full of people…in _song_. It was such a stupid idea. Kurt would never go for it. He could do so much better than Blaine. The number of boys at Dalton who has talked about how cute and smart and _funny _Kurt was...There would be someone worthy. This was the worst idea ever. Blaine was going to kill Wes later.

The curtain began to rise. There was nothing he could do.

_I am in misery  
There ain't nobody who can comfort me  
Why won't you answer me?  
The silence is slowly killing me_

_Boy you real got me bad  
You really got me now  
Now I'm gonna get you back  
I'm gonna get you back_

Blaine's eyes were blazing. He was singing to Kurt, _for_ Kurt. His eyes didn't leave Kurt's, and Kurt felt utterly helpless in their gaze. He'd been sung to before, but…not like this. Never like this. Kurt wasn't even aware of Rachel trying to get his attention.

_Not that I didn't care, it's that I didn't know  
It's not what I didn't feel, it's what I didn't show_

Wow. Kurt could hardly believe this was even happening. Blaine was _blatantly_ serenading him, possibly even telling Kurt, as well as everyone else in the auditorium, that he liked him. At the very Blaine missed Kurt. He really did. Even if it was his friend Kurt who Blaine missed, that was still something. He cared. And he wasn't angry, he was sorry. The realization made Kurt's stomach hurt. How could he ever have been such an asshole to this amazing guy? When the song was over Kurt applauded politely, not sure what the proper reaction should be.

"Kurt! KURT!" Rachel was whispering shrilly, squeezing his hand.

"OW! _What_?"

"Um, are you gonna tell me what that was?" Mercedes asked from the seat behind him.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked innocently, still watching Blaine as the Warblers got into place for their second song.

"Dude, he was totally staring at you the whole time," said Finn, who peeked out from Rachel's other side.

"Kurt, what's actually going on with Blaine?" Rachel whispered. "I haven't asked, but I've been wondering. You haven't talked about him at all since coming back…"

"Later, Rachel," said Kurt, giving her hand a squeeze.

* * *

Blaine's heart was felt like it was going to pound right out of his chest. Kurt's eyes hadn't left his throughout the entire number, which gave him a little bit of hope, but he also hadn't applauded very hard afterwards. Maybe he didn't know Blaine was singing for him? No, that would be impossible. Blaine was pretty sure everyone knew that he was singing to Kurt.

"Hey man, you ready?" David asked with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's do this," Blaine said with a small smile. This might be his last chance to make Kurt understand how he felt.

_I guess you were lost when I met you  
Still there were tears in your eyes  
So out of trust and I knew  
No more than mysteries and lies_

_There you were, wild and free  
Reaching out like you needed me  
A helping hand to make it right  
I am holding you all through the night_

_I'll be the one  
Who will make all your sorrows undone  
I'll be the light  
When you feel like there's nowhere to run  
I'll be the one..._

I can't be any more honest than that, Blaine thought to himself as he sang. Somehow that thought gave him, well, courage. It was probably a little bit too much courage, actually. He had decided early on that the performance would have to have some kind of exciting end. So he decided he would jump off the stage and go right up to Kurt to deliver the last verse. Why not? It was spontaneous and would definitely get him noticed, something he would always regret telling Kurt not to do. Unfortunately, Blaine was forgetting that he did have faults, one of which was being extremely uncoordinated. In his excitement he misjudged the distance and landed all wrong. He ended up pitching forward, right into a (luckily) empty chair. Ouch. Luckily it didn't look too bad, as he learned afterward. He wasn't down. He got right up, not missing a beat, and kept going. The show must go on, right?

That was the single most amazing experience Kurt Hummell had ever had. Hands down. Well, other than Blaine being a huge klutz, which resulted in a bleeding eyebrow but no other visible damage. Kurt had been so worried when he fell, but Blaine got right back up. And kept going. Walking. Singing. To Kurt. At Kurt. And then there he was. He picked up Kurt's hand as he belted out the last "_I'll be the one". _

When he finished, the audience exploded with applause. Neither boy was listening, though. Pulling Kurt up gently by the hand he was already holding, Blaine was disinterested in everything except the beautiful face right in front of him. When they were eye-level he reached for Kurt's other hand, his eyes never leaving the younger boy's face.

"I really _really_ like you, Kurt," he whispered.

"You do?" replied Kurt, completely breathless.

"I do," said Blaine. He reached up to touch Kurt's cheek and the younger boy closed his eyes. When he opened them there was a new, determined edge in them. He only had a moment to wonder what Kurt was thinking before his lips were on Blaine's. At the same time the boy's left hand made it's way to Blaine's hip, his right to his neck. It was Blaine's turn to be breathless.

When they finally broke off the kiss, out of sheer necessity to breathe, they noticed that everyone was still applauding, but it was no longer for The Warblers. Both boys began to blush.

* * *

May or may not expand. I have an additional chapter or two in mind, but I'm not sure if I'll publish them or not. What say you? Comments are most welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

"You know…that was probably the most romantic thing anyone has ever done outside of a Disney movie," Kurt said conversationally, before applying ice to Blaine's rapidly-swelling eyebrow. They were sitting in the back row of the auditorium while everyone else was wandering around during intermission.

"Well, I'm glad you think so – ow!" Blaine replied when the ice touched him. "I'll have to thank Wes later. It was his idea to change the songs."

"Ahh. I see," Kurt said with a smile. After a few seconds it became a sad one.

"Hey, what is it?" Blaine inquired, pulling Kurt's chin up so their eyes could meet.

Just then the lights flickered, signaling the end of intermission.

"I have to go. We're up next. But I'll talk to you later, okay?" And with that Kurt handed Blaine the ice and sped off to where the rest of the New Directions were waiting for him outside the auditorium.

* * *

"So – Kurt – _spill_," said Mercedes as soon as Kurt joined the group as they walked to the warm up room.

"I'm not one to kiss and tell, Merce. And besides, we haven't really had time to talk."

"What's there to talk about, little man?" Puck asks, "The dude likes you, you like him, time to ride off into the gay sunset or whatever."

"Uh, wow, okay, we're _so_ not talking about this right now," Kurt responded, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Well, all right, but only because we have to focus now," interjected Rachel. "It's all well and good that Dalton used their turn so Blaine could do his thing, but the judges _loved_ it. If we're going to win this thing we need everyone's head in the game, especially yours, Kurt," she stated, a glimmer of her old self re-emerging.

* * *

Maybe he had hit his head much harder than he thought, but Blaine was confused. What could possibly be bothering Kurt? He, at least, was on cloud nine, absolutely thrilled with the day's turn of events. They each had professed their undying love (okay that's an exaggeration but the point still stands) in a way so corny and romantic that Nicholas Sparks probably couldn't even have thought it up.

"Man, what could you _possibly _be worrying about right now?" Wes and David plopped down on either side of Blaine.

"He always finds something to worry about. He reminds me of my grandma," David replied.

"True. But Blaine, I can't believe you do _now_. Especially after that touching moment where Kurt tended to your battle wounds and all."

"Guys, I'm fine," Blaine says with a laugh. "Or, at least, I will be as soon as I actually get a chance to talk to the boy I've been pining over, who likes me back, who may or may not still be a little mad at me."

"Ew, dude. You sound like a girl. I thought the, er, _pining_ part was bad, but if this is what I have to look forward to, tell me now so I can find a new friend," complained Wes, pulling a face that suggested utmost agony.

"Too mean, Wes. Can't you see our boy is in love? What he deserves is – "

"Oh my god, will you both give it a rest? They're going to start soon," Blaine muttered and suddenly became very busy with his program, trying to hide the obvious blush growing in his cheeks. If Blaine were being honest with himself, he really was worried. A romantic gesture didn't exactly cancel out all the issues at hand, awesome as it was. That would be what Kurt was thinking, Blaine mused to himself.

It occurred to him then that he had no idea what the New Directions were going to be singing. Blaine perused the program further, stifling a gasp when he read the description of what he was about to see:

_New Directions: Moulin Rouge! Medley  
One Day I'll Fly Away (Soloist Kurt Hummell)  
El Tango de Roxanne (Soloists Mike Chang & Brittney S. Pierce)_

That was all Kurt. No question. Which meant that they were listening to him. Which meant they appreciated him. Which made Blaine outrageously happy. When he first met Kurt, one of the first times they talked on the phone, Kurt had described how he had such great friends in glee, but that he was consistently overlooked when it came to solos and ignored when it came to his ideas. He had said that it didn't _really_ bother him, but Blaine could tell that it had.

He had also mentioned how certain members of the club were only appreciated for talents other than their voices, specifically Brittney and Mike. As corny as it felt, it warmed Blaine's heart to think that their duet was probably due in large part to Kurt's influence.

What had changed? Without really thinking about it, Blaine whipped out his phone to compose a new text.

* * *

Backstage, Kurt's pocket began to buzz.

_From: Blaine  
Nice set list. How ever did you manage to convince them to do Moulin Rouge?_

Kurt couldn't help but smile. He hit reply….

* * *

Sooner than he expected, Blaine got a response.

_From: Kurt  
Oh, you know. After I left they realized how much they couldn't live without me. It wasn't too hard to convince them ;)_

Before Blaine could reply his phone buzzed again.

_From: Kurt  
Wish me luck! And if you say 'courage' I'll hurt you :P_

Blaine laughed softly, but it was enough to elicit a duet of eye-rolls from Wes and David. He chose to ignore it.

* * *

Kurt's pocket buzzed again just as he was filing onto the stage.

_From: Blaine  
I don't think you need it, to be honest. The luck or the courage. But break a leg anyway =]_

How was that boy even real?

* * *

As he watched the New Directions get into position, Blaine's heart started to beat faster. Secretly he was pretty sure that the effect he had on Kurt when he sang was just a fraction of the effect Kurt's singing had on him. He'd only been lucky enough to hear Kurt sing a few times, but each time had the same effect on Blaine. First his chest would feel full. Like, really full. Like to the point where it was hard to breathe. Then it was just…well, there weren't words. He wouldn't lie; his own voice was pretty impressive, but Kurt's was…one of a kind. In the best way possible. As such, Blaine could hardly help sitting straight-backed on the very edge of his seat. He knew his friends would notice and snicker at the change in his posture, but he didn't care at that particular moment. They would have no idea what that set list means to Kurt.

* * *

Kurt looked at that last text on his screen until the very last second before walking out onstage. He couldn't help it. Blaine's complete confidence gave him the courage that he didn't even know he needed.

Getting to his starting position, Kurt looked out over the audience, his eyes meeting Blaine's. Maybe they had things to talk about, because despite the obscenely romantic gesture of an hour or so ago, things weren't perfect between the two of them. Despite his magnetic attraction to all things beautiful and romantic, Kurt knew he would have to stand back and think about the situation.

He'd do that later, though. There was plenty of time to _make_ things with Blaine perfect. For the moment, though, it was Kurt's turn to revel in his first competition solo.

* * *

Okay, so I hope you like this chapter! Reviews/comments are appreciated :)

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

"…And the winner is…McKinley High's New Directions!"

The applause was deafening. Oddly, all Blaine felt like doing was joining in with it. Was that weird? The glee club he was actually _in_ had just lost, but that didn't really matter to him at the moment. All he wanted to do was scurry across the stage to give Kurt as huge a hug as he possibly could. It was actually almost painful for Blaine to force himself to resist doing just that. But it would have been inappropriate on a few different levels. For one thing, how pissed off would the rest of the Warblers be? Wes and David would probably understand, but the others would be confused, if not livid. Second, it wasn't really his place to just hop on over and celebrate with the New Directions. And third, Blaine honestly had no idea how much he was allowed to do, regarding the other boy. Ugh they really just needed to talk.

Blaine's over-analyzing was cut short when David had to drag him offstage. Evidently he hadn't noticed that everyone was being ushered off. Halfway down the hall he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, definitely not expecting to see…Rachel.

"Blaine, first of all I would like to say that it was a valiant effort on the part of your glee club. I respect your talent. Anyway, Kurt would like to speak to you."

"And he…sent you to summon me?"

"What? Oh, no," Rachel giggled lightly. "He and Finn just wanted to go find their parents, and I know he wants to talk to you so I figured I'd let you know." That made sense to Blaine. Evidently he was witnessing the meddling control freak side of Rachel. It was actually kind of endearing (although, having heard the stories, he knew it would quickly lose its charm).

"Well, uh, thanks, Rachel. But I was just going to text him anyway," Blaine replied with a lopsided smile.

"Listen, why don't you come to the diner around the corner? The New Directions are going there to celebrate before heading home. You can bring friends, if you'd like. Although I do feel that I should warn you, it's very likely that you and Kurt will both be getting the third degree from Mercedes. Evidently I wasn't the only one with whom Kurt neglected to discuss the present state of his relationship with you. I, however, have the tact not to press the subject. I feel as though when Kurt wants to…"

Wow, that girl could talk. Blaine had tried to interject at least three times to tell her that, yes, he'd love to join them at the diner. He wanted to ask if she was sure it was okay with the rest of the group but decided to err on the side of caution, not wanting another long, drawn-out response from the girl. He would just text Kurt.

"…So you see, I do care, but I feel it's my duty as Kurt's friend not to press him into talking about things that he doesn't feel like talking about."

"Okay, that sounds great. Well, not the part about being grilled by Mercedes, but yeah. Cool," Blaine responded once he was sure that Rachel was finished talking. Rachel's face split into a large and undeniably genuine smile.

"Good. Okay, I have to go, but I guess I'll be seeing you very soon. Bye!" As the girl sped away, Wes and David fell back to surround their friend.

"So…what's this I hear about you being invited to a diner? And how you're encouraged to bring along some _amigos_? You know how much I love food. Especially diner food…" Wes seemed to have already lost himself in fantasies of French toast and waffles.

"Sorry about him, dude. He's had that vacant look on his face since Rachel said the word 'diner'. I can't seem to snap him out of it," whispered David, shooting an amused glance at their friend. Blaine let out a small sigh.

"Well, I guess I don't have a choice. Wes, David, would you two like to come to the diner with me?"

* * *

_Blaine: Hey, Rachel invited me (and inadvertently Wes and David as well) to meet you guys at the diner. Is that okay? I mean, do you think everyone else would be cool with that?_

Kurt smiled at his phone before typing out a quick affirmative response.

"Who was that?" Finn asked, as the two of them walked back to the room that had been designated to the New Directions.

"Oh, uh, just Blaine. He's going to meet us at the diner."

"Oh…cool, man. So are you guys like...dating?"

"That _is_ the question, isn't it?" Kurt replied, clearly distracted by the implications of the question. _Were_ they dating?

* * *

Weirdly enough, Wes and David were a hit amongst the New Directions. Even the girls liked them…until Wes decided to accept Puck's invitation to a milk-chugging contest. It wasn't pretty.

"Why the hell did Wes think that was a good idea? Puck is a beast," Kurt asked, looking a bit nauseated as the boy in question sprinted to the men's room.

"Honestly? I haven't the slightest clue what goes on in that kid's head," replied Blaine with a soft chuckle as he, too, watched Wes.

The entirety of the New Directions, plus the three Warblers, took up two long tables in the diner. Conversation was animated, and it ranged from the competition they had just left to which was better, PS3 or N64. Although Blaine was a self-proclaimed video game fanatic he decided to opt out of that conversation to talk to Kurt. Their own conversation ended up being so riveting that neither boy had noticed that everyone else was putting their coats on to leave, having already paid for their food.

"Hey, Kurt, we're leaving. You coming?" asked Finn.

"Er…" Kurt glanced at Blaine, who smiled back at him before looking at Finn.

"If you don't mind, Finn, I could give Kurt a ride home. Later."

"All right, cool, dude. See you." The remainder of the New Directions filed out of the diner, with Wes and David intermingled. The former of the two Dalton boys turned back and shot Blaine an exaggerated wink, which was decidedly ignored.

"So…time to talk?"

"Time to talk," Blaine agreed.

* * *

**So I definitely meant for their talk to happen in this chapter, but I had too much fun writing Rachel and Wes and I got distracted. My bad. Next time, though!**

**Once again, thank you for reading :)**


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